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Will took his GCSEs at Merit’s Bucknall-based unit and has gained two grade 7s – the equivalent of As under the old exams system – along with four 5s and a 4.

“The staff know when to push you and how to get your best. There’s so much support here,” he added. “Everybody at Merit is here for a reason. The fact that other students understand we all have issues has helped.”

Aaron Stanway and Will Bennett say studying at Merit has transformed their lives

The unit caters for young people across Stoke-on-Trent unable to attend mainstream schools, usually due to mental health difficulties or medical problems.

Some are so traumatised, they are hospital in-patients. Others with purely medical conditions have access to a teacher at Royal Stoke University Hospital.

Despite arriving with a wide variety of emotional baggage, the common denominator is they are all seen as having the potential to succeed in life. Many just stay for a short period before returning to a mainstream setting.

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The 16-year-old, from Blurton, said: “Getting the grade 9 has blown me away.”

Three years ago, his OCD was so severe that he couldn’t attend lessons at his secondary school.

“I didn’t leave the house for 14 weeks,” he recalled. “Then I came to Merit in Year 9. That first year, it was all about dealing with the OCD.

“The staff have the ability to do stuff that mainstream schools can’t. When you sit in a mainstream lesson, you have 30 kids to one teacher. Here, there’s one teacher to 12 kids. It’s a lot more personal.”

He is now heading to South Staffordshire College to study land management and fishery management. “I’m a big angler and prefer learning outdoors,” he added.

Sarah Whiteley, assistant head at Merit, said: “I’m absolutely thrilled with their success.”